1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a toy furniture device which may be readily converted from one furniture configuration to another. More particularly, the toy furniture device according to the invention provides a toy bed construction which may be readily converted to a toy couch arrangement.
The terminology "toy furniture" as employed herein is intended to connote miniature furniture such as the type frequently used by children when playing with dolls or other similar toys.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Due to the widespread use of miniature toy or doll furniture by children during play, there has developed a desideratum for such furniture which can be handled with ease by even young children, which are imitative of real-life furniture arrangements, and which afford sufficient novelty as to entertain children even after many hours of play. Among other desired features of such toy furniture, it is preferred that the articles of furniture be constructed to be relatively compact while maximizing versatility thereof. In this respect, it is higly desirable that the toy furniture have features which permit the child to selectively manipulate the articles of furniture to arrive at novel and alternative arrangements thereof during play.
Illustrative of toy furniture construction which have been developed are those disclosed in the following United States patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 961,331 discloses a toy handkerchief box which permits conversion thereof between a box-like arrangement wherein the child's handkerchiefs may be stored, and a toy bed configuration wherein flat members defining a head board and foot board for the bed are received within respective end slots of the lower open box portion. Although such construction permits conversion from a handkerchief box configuration to a toy bed configuration, it fails to provide more than one article of furniture with which the child can play.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,453,241 discloses a toy furniture set of interchangeable parts for forming various articles of furniture. Various interchangeable side bars, end bars, chair backs, legs, etc. are provided with slot and tongue couplings to permit construction of a couch, chairs, a table, etc. No provision is made, however, for constructing a full bed simulating a real-life one, or for converting an integral full bed configuration into an integral couch configuration, for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,975,305 discloses a toy bed construction including head and foot boards and legs with posts defining a poster bed. The posts on the legs may be folded over the ends of the foot and head boards to facilitate transportation with smaller beds of a set being nested within larger ones. No provision is made for converting the poster bed into an alternative toy furniture configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,546,811 discloses a foldable chair construction for accommodating a child. The chair includes a supporting structure which is bowed until studs are engaged in respective openings. A stretcher is then rotated on the axis of the studs to serve as a tension member, and a seat portion is then lowered into contact with the upper edge of the stretcher. Such construction generally fails to afford a child with any toy or doll furniture which permits selectively converting from one furniture configuration to another.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 240,547 discloses a toy bed frame including a head board, three horizontal slats, a foot board, and four legs. No provision is made for converting the bed to another article of toy furniture.
None of the foregoing known toy furniture constructions provides a child with a compact and easily manipulated arrangement which permits simple and yet entertaining conversion between desired furniture configurations.
The present invention effectively overcomes the shortcomings of the foregoing known constructions, and at the same time effectively fulfills the aforesaid desideratum.